flicker
by Raesa
Summary: Like a bonfire of dreams. AU.


**the author;** quitearrogant  
 **the tile;** flicker  
 **the summary;** Like a bonfire of dreams. AU.  
 **the characters;** Sai, mostly and everyone else.  
 **the rating;** K? K+?  
 **the status;** complete  
 **the disclaimer;** I do not own Naruto.  
 **thewhateverelseIhavetosay;** I haven't written in a long, long time and me saying this is in no way an understatement; It's been years since I've actually sat down in front of a word document that wasn't for school and just let my thoughts—my ideas—run rampant. I do hope to eventually even write my own book someday as I have plenty of ideas, but first I need to get back into writing so I'll be using fanfiction for that. I'll be starting off slow, perhaps with shorter stories at first so bear with me. I'll also eventually edit old stories and release new, longer ones. This story quite didn't end up how I was initially thinking, but oh well. I'll probably end up changing it if I come back to it. If you like this one, please do follow/keep me on alert. Thank you.

* * *

flicker

Whiskey wood panels, ambient noise, homely scent. He'd been sprawled out on the tattered sheets of his bed. One leg raised and an arm behind his head was his most comfortable position. It allowed him to idly trace along the cracks and creeks of the time chiseled panels on his ceiling for hours on end. It was quiet—just the way he liked it—and the scent of cooking from one of the other homes put him at ease. He finally decided that enough time had passed and he swiftly grabbed a jacket and slipped on his sandals before heading out the door.

The dark veiled sky, a mass of blues, purples, and black, seemed vast and measureless draping over the little village he was slowly getting accustomed to calling his "home," a word he was just barely beginning to understand. The polar white stars that littered it gleamed and glittered and Sai couldn't help thinking they looked a little too much like snowflakes. The stars sprinkled the abyss canvas and framed the biggest of them all. The heaven-touching apex of the mountain its backdrop. It was times like this where Sai felt small.

The path he sat forth was fairly straightforward or perhaps it seemed so because he'd been this way so many times before. Tempered soil wafted up, his feet becoming dry. He shifted his weight, tapping one foot against the ground in an attempt to remove the grit before continuing on his path. Sai could vaguely hear the stream that twisted through the forest murmuring and lisping in the distance, and he took note of how it struggled greatly against the roar of the waterfall past it. He could vividly imagine iceberg blue splash on barred rock, iceberg blue on meadow green.

Bristled-bare oak and shrubbery framed the dusty cider path and the once full canopy was now near naked; it's essence now on dirt path in colors of brandy, ochre, and ale. A delicate crunch reached his ears with every step. Colors of scarlet and rosewood soon came into view, bringing the rest of the road alit. He could hear voices and laughter off in the short distance and that was a tell-tale sign that their spot was bristling with activity. Red danced in his eyes, and he picked up his pace without realizing it.

He was greeted by laughter, smiles, and from a few, nods of acknowledgement to which he returned. The golden haired boy quickly came over to gleefully swing an arm around Sai's shoulders, and dragged him off to the campfire where a few others sat. Sai made do with using one of the nearby logs as his own seat. Naruto—the too loud, cerulean eyed, fox faced optimist that absolutely insisted he'd be king one day and better than the Uchiha in every way possible. Sasuke—the monosyllabic, raven hair/eyed boy that had a knack for fighting and pyromaniac tendencies. Sasuke was a part of the Uchiha family and was rich or noble or something. And, Sakura—the petite emerald eyed, big fore-headed girl with too much strength for her size. She was feisty and quick tempered, but she had the heart of a healer. He considered himself closer to these three than anyone else. Sasuke and Naruto soon got into another one of their spats of "who's better" which Sakura got bored of and trotted off elsewhere. Sai took the time to scan the rest of his surroundings.

One raven haired trio was off near the water—Hinata, Kiba, and Shino. Kiba found his amusement by skipping stones across the water, and the dog he always had with him played near the edge. Other than the frisky smell, Sai didn't mind Kiba and his family's dog farm of sorts. Shino was inspecting some insects on a few littered branches. Shino was smart and quiet, but had a distinct interest in insects. He didn't mind Hinata; she was something he'd consider abnormally shy which he guessed is what made her so quiet, but she didn't hurt anyone else—not that she was capable—or annoy Sai so she was okay in his book.

Not too far off—Neji, TenTen, and Rock Lee were sitting at a grassy clearing. They were about a year older than the rest of them. Sai believed they were mostly only good or interested in fighting akin to that of the Uchiha and fox faced dimwit, though at least TenTen had a talent—she was skilled in weaponstry. He found her obsession and collection a little unhealthy, but impressive nonetheless. He was quite sure Neji and Hinata were from a noble or rich family like Sasuke. However, for the bowl cut haired, bug eyed boy, he didn't know much else about.

Sai vaguely pondered if the Uchiha and Hyuga families knew where their children were.

While everyone peaked his interest in some way, Sai probably paid more attention to the next usual trio other than his own group. Two of which were sitting by the campfire, one laying and the other roasting something he couldn't quite pinpoint on a brawny stick. He was extremely aware of Choji's aspirations of becoming a chef, though he more so contributed that to Choji eating and talking about food all the time, however Shikamaru, the half-asleep boy next to him, was a conundrum. It fascinated him someone as lazy and uninterested as Shikamaru could ever want to be a strategist. Although, time and time again he proved he was more than capable of the job. Aside from Shikamaru basically being a mirror image of his father in every way, Sai didn't know much else about him. Other than the fact he would sometimes sneak out the village to meet a dirty blonde, teal eyed girl from another village. He wondered if anyone else knew about that. As for Ino, well… Sai wasn't quite sure. Smoldering eyes traveled until coal black met bottled blonde.

Ino's moon glint-gold hair tumbled over her shoulders as she danced with Sakura, giggling. Swirls of blonde hair wreathed her moon shaped face and her seafarer-blue eyes twinkled. They were as clear as the stream in spring. It was just the right color of blue that he found mesmerizing, just like the halo white smile that she displayed whenever she danced or got new sewing materials, and just like the sorbet pink lips that adorned her ever bright smile and cream complexion. Though, when she paused, met his gaze and quickly looked away, a fair red upon her cheeks, it left Sai a little more than confused. Ino's cheerful and bubbly personality was something he found both tiring and enlightening, and maybe that's what made him take such great note of her dreams to become a tailor and her hobbies as well. Perhaps he could ask her what was wrong later. It would bother him if he didn't.

After a few moments, Sai repositioned himself more comfortably and the old, battered log creaked under his weight. His eyes grazed the scene before him; the king surrounded by the knights and warriors to be and the tailor, weaponsmith, and physicians that would be taking care of them, the strategist and the chef, and even the researcher and the farmer with his ever loyal dog. Although, old man pub owner Kakashi wasn't here, one of the few things Sai knew was that the old pervert would always support them too. The autumn wind picked up with the rusted and brass leaves that settled onto the ancient bed, a seasoned earthy scent rising.

He fixated his charcoal gaze on the dancing flame of the campfire. Sai wasn't like them. He didn't have dreams or aspirations, he could barely comprehend and understand emotions or even most human interactions, although he was trying. His mind couldn't quite grasp things like why Hinata looked to Naruto with such eyes, or when Sakura looked to Sasuke the same way and would even get upset when he pointed it out. He couldn't grasp why Ino acted oddly around him sometimes, but not with Choji or Shikamaru either. It was all a little too confusing for him when he took the time to actually try and think about it, however whenever everyone gathered here is when Sai felt the most fleeting, he thinks.

And they danced and they laughed and each light didn't flicker with the wind.

It was like a bonfire of dreams.


End file.
